Werneria mertensiana Amiet, 1976
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Werneria mertensiana is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is found in western Cameroon (Mount Nlonako, Mount Manengouba, Mount Kala, possibly Western High Plateau) and possibly in the Obudu Plateau in Nigeria. The specific name mertensiana honours Robert Mertens, a German zoologist and herpetologist. Common name Mertens' smalltongue toad has been coined for it.
Werneria mertensiana is typically found associated with rocks in streams and waterfalls in forest and degraded secondary habitats at the lower limit of the submontane zone, 800–1,050 m (2,620–3,440 ft) above sea level. It can also be found in leaf-litter away from water. It can be locally relatively abundant. The main threat to it is probably habitat loss.
Wikipedia contributors, Werneria mertensiana; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T18:54:45.813830+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Werneria mertensiana Amiet, 1976
- Name authority
- Amiet, 1976
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Amphibia
- Order
- Anura
- Family
- Bufonidae
- Genus
- Werneria
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAmphibia
- orderAnura
- familyBufonidae Gray, 1825
- genusWerneria Poche, 1903
- speciesWerneria mertensiana Amiet, 1976
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Werneria. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Werneria preussi (Matschie, 1893) | BufonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Werneria iboundji Rödel, Schmitz, Pauwels & Böhme, 2004 | BufonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Werneria tandyi (Amiet, 1972) | BufonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Werneria preussi mertensiana Amiet, 1976 Amiet, 1976 | synonym |
| Bufo mertensi Amiet, 1972 Amiet, 1972 | synonym |
| Bufo mertensiana (Amiet, 1976) (Amiet, 1976) | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=661961 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:5BXH2. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.